People often enjoy listening to music and other sounds while performing a variety of activities. During many of the activities it may be desirable to use a personal audio system having at least one portable speaker juxtaposed next to the ear canal. Juxtaposing the portable speaker next to the ear canal directs substantially all of the music and/or other sounds directly to the user while eliminating or substantially eliminating the sound heard by others.
There have been many different methods to juxtapose a speaker next to the ear canal. The traditional headphone (“over head”) has a plastic or metal headband across the top of the head with speakers encased in plastic on either side. The cord for the traditional headphone protrudes from either both speakers or just one speaker and is worn on the front of the individual. Newer designs for headphones include a plastic band that is worn across the occipital portion of the head (“behind head”), connecting the two speakers with a wire that could be worn on the front or the back. There are also the in-ear headphones (“earbuds”) with wires from both speakers that may be worn inside the ear canal. None of these common personal audio delivery systems are very comfortable when worn during sleep or exercise.
The “over head” and “behind head” headphones use a hard material like plastic or metal to hold the shape, and include bulky plastic or metal-enclosed speaker. The bulky plastic or metal enclosed speakers would be uncomfortable when lying on the side, and are unlikely to stay in place for an extended period of time with normal sleep. While the “earbuds” design does not include the hard material like plastic or metal to hold the shape, the speaker is often irritating to the soft ear cartilage. When they are worn for an extended period of time, the hard components may actually cause ulcers in the thin skin of the ears, and an inability for the ear canal to be ventilated may predispose the wearer to fungal or bacterial ear canal infections.
These common personal audio delivery systems are also uncomfortable and/or difficult to keep positioned near the ear canal during physical activity. The “over head” and “behind ear” headphones may easily fall off the users head and/or slide away from the ear canal as the user moves in different directions. Additionally, the “over head” and “behind ear” headphones which have enlarged speakers and/or speaker housings are cumbersome and add substantial weight to the headphones. The “earbuds” often become dislodged during activity and become increasingly more irritating as they are continuously repositioned in the ear.
A personal audio system that does not suffer from one or more of the above drawbacks would be desirable in the art.